Safety evo
Life saving tips
This Near miss toolbox talk will help you a lot if you are not aware about what exactly a near miss is
Many workers are not able to differentiate between NM and accident,
and some others are merging between NM and unsafe (acts, conditions)
For this it is good to start our elements wit simple definition of the near miss.
what is the definition of a near miss
As defined by OSHA, NEBOSH and others, a near miss is an unplanned and undesired event
that has the potential to cause harm or loss, but it did not actually cause any.
This harm or loss may affect one of three elements (Human health, Environment or the assets)
It is also called close call – near hit
So, this event in different time and circumstances could lead to unwanted consequences.
difference between near miss and accident
Here comes the difference between a near miss and an accident
Both of them are events, (Something unwanted and unplanned has occurred)
but in the accident, we already suffered a harm or loss of any kind
for one or more of our previously mentioned elements.
While, both accident and near miss are completely different from an unsafe act or condition.
Which are not actually events, those are something or a practice that can proceed to an event if not controlled.
Examples of near miss
These examples can help you to understand the idea.
Do you remember what we discussed about step ladder safety toolbox talk
Let’s consider a worker who is working above the ladder’s cap
in this case, he is committing an unsafe act.
this worker is facing the hazard of falling from height
Now assume that this worker felt down, now we have the chance to face one of two scenarios:
The worker may not be harmed and the event may pass without unwanted effects
in this case, we have a near miss (it was about to harm him)
The other scenario is that the worker was injured or some tools were affected by this hit.
And in this case as we have some losses, the event will be recorded as an accident.
why reporting a near miss
Now in this part of our near miss toolbox talk, let’s give some reasons why we have to report any near miss.
Simply, because it is a warning call.
this event that did not harm any body could have caused many losses, and may by worse next time.
This event show us some weakness points in our safety system
But to be more systematic, there are three main reasons why we have to report and record the near misses.
Moral reasons
Any organization needs to prove that it cares about the workers,
So, near miss reporting and recording is a clear evidence that proves this.
By reporting and investigating near misses, the workers will feel that they are highly valued by their organization.
After the reporting process, an investigation need to be issued to find the causes of this near miss
then try to solve and control the reasons led to this near miss
because the next time, the event may turn worse and cause loses.
The organization for sure want to achieve profits, but why not seeking for a win win situation.
by improving the worker’s performance through providing a safe working environment.
Legal reasons
After the repeated incidents, governments try to force the organizations to improve the safe working environment.
This is done by setting lows and regulations that push towards this target.
Any organization that is not complying with these regulations, may face legal problems.
Not only the legal authorities, but also international and national certification bodies and.
A great portion of their evaluation depends on the safety level.
which for sure will appear better when the organization has a good near miss reporting system.
Financial reasons
All these reasons can be translated into financial language.
The organization that has a high accident history is not the same as that has a good reporting system.
The near miss reporting scheme is one of the most effective KPI factors,
that builds the organization’s reputation.
Also, clients are putting their trust in these organizations with good reputation.
And that organization can avoid lots of payments when they have good incident recording culture.
The more you record incidents, the less accident you will face.
What if we did not report a near miss
If an event occurred and passed with no consequences once,
it is not necessarily meaning that it will pass safely every time.
Any change in the circumstances or the environmental condition can lead to catastrophic results next rime
There is one fact, is that we cannot prevent incidents from occurrence.
But we have to act wisely
Learning some lessons from those events is the huge benefit we can gain.
during our near miss toolbox talk, we mentioned that the near miss is not harming you this time.
But be careful, it can cost you a lot next time.
So, if you neglected the near miss and did not analyze it and put your hands on the reasons,
For sure this event will happen again because your environment is good for it to occur.
And the next time, you cannot predict the consequences.
So, the conclusion of this near miss toolbox talk ……..
You have to be smart and act wisely.
Always get the good benefit from any event even if it was unplanned.
Always improve your safety culture by learning new lessons and communicate these with your team members.
